Find out how popular the last name Dest is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dest.

Dest, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dest in America

Dest is the 84136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dest surname appeared 223 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dest to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dest

The surname DEST originated in France during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "deste" meaning "right-handed" or "favored". This name likely referred to someone who was skilled with their right hand or held a respected position.

In the 13th century, the name DEST appeared in records from the Normandy region of France. Variations in spelling such as "Deste" and "Dest" were common during this time. The surname is also linked to the village of Dest in the Manche department of Normandy.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Dest, a merchant from Rouen who lived in the late 1300s. Records show he traded goods along the Seine River and was a prominent figure in the local community.

The DEST surname is found in the Doomsday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests the name had spread to parts of England by the 11th century.

A notable figure was Sir Robert Dest (1452-1523), a knight from Gloucestershire, England who served under King Henry VII and King Henry VIII. He fought in several battles during the Wars of the Roses and was rewarded with land and titles for his loyalty.

Another historical bearer of the DEST name was Marie Dest (1589-1658), a French noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and literature. She hosted salons in Paris that were attended by prominent writers and philosophers of the time.

In the 16th century, the DEST surname appeared in records from the Netherlands, indicating the name had spread to other parts of Europe. One example is Pieter Dest (1562-1637), a Dutch merchant and explorer who was among the first Europeans to establish trade relations with Japan.

The DEST name can also be traced to parts of Germany and Switzerland, where variations like "Dest" and "Deste" were used. Johann Dest (1678-1744) was a Swiss clockmaker who made intricate timepieces for European nobility during the 18th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dest

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dest.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dest was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dest has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dest was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dest, please contact us.

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